This post is for all the people who are going to be by themselves at Christmas and want to make the most of it. I hope one or more of these suggestions is useful, let me know how you get on!

Plan Some Fun

Being by yourself means that you get to decide exactly what you want to do and when, so I recommend planning out some really fun things that you enjoy. That might include:

• pampering/ spa
• sight-seeing, museums
• restaurants (take a book?)
• movies
• shows
• shopping
• zorbing/ zip lining (or anything else fun and available in winter in your area)

It can also be something you’ve always wanted to try and never found the time. You could book these ahead of time so you have things to look forward to throughout your holidays. If you wanted, you could even plan a holiday with single people around your age, so you get to see somewhere new – a great option for people who hate to eat at restaurants and explore alone.

Meet Some Likeminded People

If you are in the mood to be social, you can find other people in the same mood using sites like meetup.com or social media. You could look for groups of people you have shared interests with, which will make it easy to find something to talk about, or find an expat or out-of-towner group if you happen to be away from home.

Make the Most of Your Free Time

If you do decide to hang out alone you can also take the opportunity to teach yourself something you have been wanting to learn, such as:

• photography
• piano
• a language Spanish for example),
• ikebana/ flower arranging
• pottery/ painting
• computer programming/ webdesign

See how far you can progress before the holidays end.

Alternatively, if learning feels too much like hard work, how about working your way through all the classic movies you have always meant to make time to see? One of my favourites is Dune (for the Sci-fi nerds out there), but I also recommend Amelie, Stranger than Fiction, Lost in Translation, About Time and slightly older action/ adventure movies like Die Hard, Romancing the stone, Indiana jones – there’s actually too many great films to list. I’m excited for you at this point. Oh yes, and gaming – that’s a thing lots of people love too.

Create Something

Along similar lines as above, but a little more ambitious – take this free time to create something. Try and make it something you feel like doing, are excited about and will feel good for having finished. Things like:

• a short story
• a book outline
• a poem
• a painting/ drawing
• a photography project
• a short movie
• a coffee table
• a Raspberry Pi or similar
• an idea for a video game
• a photo book

The possibilities are limitless, but try and confine yourself to something you actually enjoy and care about. You have some time to research and experiment now, playing around with ideas and trying things – enjoy it!

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Whatever you choose to do, being alone can be a wonderful gift as long as you value it and have the right attitude. Whatever you do, be intentional and do not allow feelings of FOMO to dominate. All over the world people who celebrate Christmas, Hannukah or other, will be with their loved ones, and it is guaranteed that at least one of those people is incredibly annoying, so enjoy the luxury of doing what you want, when you want and having your own space and time.